Ithraa to host session on infrastructure and logistics in Oman

Muscat: Oman’s infrastructure and growing logistics sector will be the focus of Ithraa’s upcoming Inside Stories session scheduled for 7pm on July 11 at the Public Authority for Civil Aviation (PACA) Training Centre in Al Mawaleh.
Supported by Al Mouj Muscat and PACA, the session will be moderated by Qais Al Kharusi, CEO, Oman — Brunei Investment Company. Panellists include Nabil Al Bimani, Executive Director, Logistics Strategy, Asyad, Suleiman Al Shaqsi, Logistics
Manager, Petroleum Development Oman and Tapio Naula, Program Director — Trade Facilitation, Asyad.
“Infrastructure is widely recognised as a key ingredient in Oman’s economic success,” said Taleb Al Makhmari, Ithraa’s Director General of Marketing and Media, and organiser of the Inside Stories initiative.
He explained, “We’ve found that the top attributes that make the Sultanate attractive to foreign investors are quality of life, access to international markets and talent, stable political environment, and infrastructure.”
However, many issues surrounding spending on road and rail networks, air and sea ports, free zones, industrial estates, warehousing, business parks and telecommunications infrastructure are poorly understood, suggests Ithraa’s Director General.
In order to better understand these issues, Inside Stories will explore the importance of Oman’s hard and soft infrastructure, its impact on exporters and importers, in particular SMEs, its relevance to the Sultanate’s long-term economic vitality and role in helping unlock the country’s economic potential.
According to Al Makhmari, targeted public-private sector investment in infrastructure is key to attracting international businesses to Oman, and a topic that will be debated at Inside Stories.
“Today, the mobility of people and capital has created fierce competition among cities. We’re all out there competing for the best ideas and talent. To prosper, its imperative we create a setting where talented entrepreneurs and the businesses they grow want to be.
“And in response to this, Oman has invested heavily in infrastructure transforming the sultanate into an international business and tourist hub that’s now home to some of the world’s best ports, roads, airports, free zones and industrial estates.”